A mother’s love is a beautiful thing. It’s unconditional and enduring.

Without question, we must acknowledge the devotion and care we receive from our mothers. Fortunately, we have commemorative days like Mother’s Day.  For some of us, we need the reminder they provide to help us stop and express our gratitude in a special way.

Now, there are those times when, even with the reminder, we can still forget. Has Mother’s Day ever caught you off guard? Maybe you forgot to plan for it, so the day saw you searching for flowers at the last minute. Perhaps you had to settle with a mere phone call, and it’s likely, she still appreciated the phone call, after all, she’s mum.

Still, let’s do things differently this year. With careful planning, and you have time, you can treat her to something truly meaningful. This year, let there be no last-minute mad dashes for flowers, a box of chocolates or a mug. 

Why not get her something she can genuinely appreciate—something that actually makes her feel special, and considered?

Yello’s here to tell you how. As you plan for Mother’s Day, these five tips will help you “wow” your mum for more than one day.

The 5 Love Languages®

Find out what’s her love language. Don’t know what we’re talking about? (newslive.com) Do a Google search for Gary Chapman. The American author has revolutionised relationships with his novel, The 5 Love Languages®.

In his book, Chapman purports that people connect with others in five different ways: quality time, acts of service, words of affirmation, receiving gifts, and physical affection. He suggests that it’s beneficial to relationships to determine and engage our loved ones in the specific way they feel loved. 

Check online and have Mum do the test, or better still, get the book. Then use it as a guide in your Mother’s Day plan. You may be surprised by what you learn about her. For example, the test may reveal that spending an hour with your mum makes her feel more loved than buying her the newest kitchen appliance.

How to get the book? You have two options. You can either shop online and ship it, or try the local bookstores, as they’ll likely have a copy.

Gardening Kit

Flowers are a beautiful and thoughtful gift, but they die and sometimes too quickly. You can give Mum something a bit more lasting. If you’ve been purchasing flowers because she loves them, why not gift her the seedlings or a sprout of her favourite plant? If your mum loves gardening, chances are she will appreciate the thought. You visit a local nursery and buy seeds or a plant. You may even want to create your own gardening kit, including the seeds or plant, a beautiful pot, a trowel, potting soil, and fertiliser.

Check out the local gardening supply stores and nurseries to create your gardening kit. They are listed under FindYello’s Lawn & Garden Services heading.

Redeemable Coupons

Mugs, flowers, and chocolate are great gifts, but none are lasting. Why not pay close attention to what your mum needs to get done around the house, and make a list?  Then create redeemable coupons for specific tasks or activities you’ve identified.  You can even throw in a few “quality time” coupons too. The best thing about this gift is that you can date the coupons according to your availability.

Of course, to do this, you’ll need stationery. Check out your local Stationery stores for craft paper and other items to begin creating your redeemable coupons.

Dinner for Two

Mums have favourite meals too; it’s just that they spend more time preparing ours. Find out what your mother likes best and prepare it. On Mother’s Day, you can treat her to a delicious serving of her favourite dish. You can undertake the meal yourself or make reservations at a restaurant that offers a delectable serving of the particular dish. The benefit of planning will allow you to work on perfecting the meal or researching restaurants.

Also, remember that some restaurants offer Mother’s Day specials, so you can start enquiring early. To get started, browse the Restaurant listing on FindYello.

Family Photo Shoot

It’s all about making lasting memories, and mothers love photos of their children. So, arrange a photo shoot with siblings and grandchildren if there are any. 

Have fun with it. You can plan the shoot around a theme. Here are two neat ideas. You can either coordinate clothing, using matching colours or stage an activity. While you can have someone snap the photo for you, why not make it extra special and hire a professional photographer?

Check out a list of local photographers on FindYello. You can call around and compare rates.

Do things differently this Mother’s Day. Treat your mum to a memorable experience; one that she will genuinely enjoy because you’ve put much care and planning into it.

Sources: 5 Love Languages® and Success Resources.